Those still wondering what Stoke City’s new DNA and style is under Gary Rowett are surely starting to see their question answered.

The framework was always there from day one, what with an apparent preference for a back four and the use of two wide men.

But the past week has provided the most sustained evidence yet that a Rowett team can indeed possess the kind of strong and resilient character needed to survive the sticky situations confronting his players far too regularly for comfort since he took charge.

They haven’t played particularly well over the past three games, but have shown grittier qualities to cover the gaps left by any lack of flair and control.

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A one-goal deficit against Birmingham on home soil would surely have been wiped out had they been awarded the penalty they deserved for handball late in the day.

Then at Sheffield United last Tuesday a team of lesser substance might have capitulated like days of old instead of sneaking that late point from Joe Allen’s 88th minute free-kick.

The first time in 98 games since May 2016, notably, that Stoke had scored a meaningful goal in the last five minutes of a match.

And then on Saturday at Bristol City, when their goalkeeper magnificently backed up their wider defensive obstinacy, Stoke doggedly withstood decent pressure and several attempts to cancel out Darren Fletcher’s first-half strike.

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Bristol City 0, Stoke City 1 - the fallout

Stoke won’t win promotion with such doggedness alone - their flair players must start delivering more consistently to win enough points and matches - but in the meantime they are showing enough character to simply stick in there and, if needs be, draw and win ugly.

Similar resilience will no doubt be required this weekend against the best (certainly the toughest) opponent to arrive at the bet365 so far this season.

Middlesbrough’s height, power and own stickability are the cornerstone of their own promotion ambitions and provide the stiffest test yet of Stoke’s own claims to be made of the right stuff.

The game will be billed in many quarters as Rowett v Pulis, too, but the Stoke manager will be the first to point out that his Boro counterpart has had rather longer to crank his promotion bandwagon into life.